Dear ENO members,

We would like to share some information and communication materials concerning the European elections on 6-9 June in case your office would like to do some promotion. This follows on from the pledge many of your offices signed inviting citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote.

The European Parliament recently published an emotionally powerful campaign video featuring older Europeans explaining to their grandchildren why it is important to protect democracy.

The video is subtitled and dubbed in all 24 of the official EU languages (here https://www.elections.europa.eu/video languages available under 'settings'), and is available to download in the European Parliament’s multimedia centre (subtitled and dubbed). We have shared the video on our social media channels and we are also promoting the date of the elections. 

If you are interested in promoting the elections, you can also find other election campaign materials on this website: https://together.eu/download-centre 

The ENO Secretariat

Chers collègues,

Nous ailmerions aimerais partager quelques informations et supports de communication concernant les élections européennes du 6 au 9 juin au cas où votre bureau souhaiterait faire de la promotion. Cela fait suite à l’engagement signé par nombre de vos bureaux invitant les citoyens à exercer leur droit de vote démocratique.

Le Parlement européen a récemment publié une vidéo de campagne forte en émotions dans laquelle des Européens plus âgés expliquent à leurs petits-enfants pourquoi il est important de protéger la démocratie.

La vidéo est sous-titrée et doublée dans les 24 langues officielles de l'UE (ici https://www.elections.europa.eu/video langues disponibles sous « paramètres ») et peut être téléchargée dans le centre multimédia du Parlement européen (sous-titrée et doublé). Nous avons partagé la vidéo sur nos réseaux sociaux et nous faisons également la promotion de la date des élections.

Si vous souhaitez promouvoir les élections, vous pouvez également trouver d'autres supports de campagne électorale sur ce site : https://together.eu/download-centre.

Bien à vous,

Le Sécretariat du Réseau

Statement from Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

The Public Services Ombudsman, Michelle Morris, is today publishing the draft Terms of Reference for the independent review of the Ombudsman’s Councillor Code of Conduct work.  The review will be conducted to provide assurance that its processes, for considering complaints that councillors have breached the councillor Code of Conduct, are sound and free from political bias.  It will also identify lessons that can be learned from what has happened.

The Ombudsman expects to be able to give details of the person who will lead the review shortly.

The Terms of Reference are being shared with the Senedd Finance Committee.  They will be finalised after the Finance Committee’s consideration and in discussion with the independent reviewer.

Draft Terms of Reference

Review of the PSOW’s processes for the assessment and investigation of complaints that members of local authorities, fire and rescue authorities, national park authorities and police and crime panels in Wales have breached their Code of Conduct, to ensure that they are sound, free from political bias and that lessons are learned from what has happened.

Context

On 26 March 2024, the PSOW was informed by a member of the public that a member of staff had been making inappropriate and unacceptable social media posts of a political nature.

The member of staff was suspended and then resigned from her role with PSOW.  The former member of staff was a team leader, who, until the end of August 2023, had been leading the Code Team assessing and investigating complaints that local councillors had breached the Code of Conduct for councillors in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000 (‘LGA 2000’).

The aim of this review is to provide assurance on whether the PSOW’s Code of Conduct processes, delegations and decisions have been sound, free from political bias and that lessons are learned from what has happened.

While there is no evidence that the Former Team Leader expressed her personal views or influenced others in the office, PSOW recognises that any review also needs to provide assurance on this point.

Code of Conduct complaints which are not investigated

From 1 April 2021 onwards, the Code Team was responsible for the assessment of Code of Conduct complaints and making decisions on which complaints should not be investigated.  Prior to this date these assessments were made in a different team which was not managed by the Former Team Leader.

On 1 September 2023, as happens from time to time in accordance with the operational needs of the office, the PSOW rotated team leaders and the Former Team Leader moved to manage a different team in PSOW.  On this occasion, the rotation occurred as a result of the retirement of a team leader who managed a Public Service Complaints Investigation Team.

From 1 September 2023 until 22 October 2023, the Code Team had no team leader, pending the new team leader taking up this role on 23 October.  During the time when no team leader was in position, a more senior manager oversaw the work of the Code of Conduct Team.  She was, from time to time, assisted by the Former Team Leader.

This review will consider assessment decisions taken by the Former Team Leader and the Code Team from 1 April 2021 until 22 October 2023.

The PSOW applies a two stage test when deciding whether a complaint should be investigated.  Firstly, whether the evidence provided suggests that a breach of the Code of Conduct has occurred, and, secondly, whether an investigation is required in the public interest.

As the Former Team Leader did not manage the Team which took assessment decisions on Code of Conduct cases before 1 April 2021, this review will not consider assessment decisions taken before 1 April 2021.

Code of Conduct complaints – cases which are investigated

Decisions to start an investigation under section 69 of the LGA 2000 are taken by the Director of Investigations/Chief Legal Adviser.

Decisions to discontinue an investigation before its completion are taken by the Director of Investigations/Chief Legal Adviser.

On completion of an investigation, the PSOW’s role is to decide which of the following findings under s69(4) of the LGA 2000 is appropriate:

a) that there is no evidence of any failure to comply with the code of conduct

b) that no action needs to be taken in respect of the matters which are the subject of the investigation

c) that the matters which are the subject of the investigation should be referred to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned for consideration by its standards committee, or

d) that the matters which are the subject of the investigation should be referred to the president of the Adjudication Panel for Wales for adjudication by a tribunal.

Decisions that there is no evidence of a breach of the Code (as outlined in (a) above) or that no action needs to be taken in respect of the matters investigated (as outlined in (b) above) are taken by the Director of Investigations/Chief Legal Adviser.

Cases which the Former Team Leader investigated during the period from 1 April 2019 (when the Former Team Leader became responsible for the oversight of Code of Conduct ­­work) until 23 October 2023 and which the Director of Investigations either decided to discontinue or close because there was no evidence of a failure to comply with the code or no action needed to be taken, will be considered as part of this review.  Although the Former Team Leader did not make the final decision on these cases, all cases which the Former Team Leader investigated whilst in a management role overseeing Code of Conduct casework for PSOW, will be considered as part of this review.

Decisions to refer a matter for hearing to a standards committee or the Adjudication Panel for Wales under c) or d) above, are taken by the Ombudsman.

These cases are then subject to an independent hearing, in which the investigation may be challenged and scrutinised and witnesses may be called before the relevant standards committee or Adjudication Panel for Wales reaches a decision on whether the councillor complained about has breached the Code of Conduct, and if so, whether a sanction should be imposed.

A councillor may appeal against decisions taken by a standards committee to the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

A councillor may appeal against decisions taken by the Adjudication Panel for Wales to the High Court.

The Adjudication Panel for Wales and standards committees are independent of the Ombudsman and take decisions on cases independently of the Ombudsman. Cases referred to either a standards committee or the Adjudication Panel for Wales have already been reviewed by those bodies. Decisions of those bodies are appealable: that is there is a statutory mechanism in place which allows a councillor subject to a decision of those bodies to seek a further review of those decisions. The Ombudsman has no power to alter a decision of a standards committee or the Adjudication Panel for Wales. The only way in which such decisions can be challenged or altered is via the statutory appeal process. Accordingly, the review will not include these cases.

In summary – Matters to be reviewed

The Ombudsman has appointed X to lead this independent review and report on their findings.

The PSOW considers that X should have a wide scope for comment and should seek to:

• Review the PSOW’s Code of Conduct processes and delegations to ensure that they are appropriate, fair and impartial and free from political bias.
• Review the decisions taken by the former team leader and her Team not to investigate Code of Conduct complaints from 1 April 2021 to 22 October 2023, to ensure that the PSOW’s two stage test was applied properly and decisions were free from political bias (673 cases).
• Review cases where the former team leader was the ‘case owner’ which were investigated and closed without a referral to a standards committee or the Adjudication Panel for Wales from 1 April 2019 to 22 October 2023, to ensure that there is no evidence of political bias in the handling of these cases (11 cases).
• Establish whether there is evidence that the team leader expressed her personal views on political matters akin to her social media posts in the office and/or inappropriately influenced other staff members, in the performance of their duties under the Local Government Act 2000.
• Make any recommendations which X considers appropriate and issue a final report which the PSOW will share with the Senedd’s Finance Committee. In the event that the X considers it necessary to widen the scope of this review, X will inform and agree this with the Ombudsman.

These draft Terms of Reference are subject to agreement and amendment by the person appointed to undertake the independent review

El Ararteko admitió a trámite la queja de una ciudadana que manifestó su urgente necesidad de vivienda. La reclamante residía en una vivienda de emergencia social de titularidad municipal con su madre de 62 años, con un grado de discapacidad del 70% y un grado I de dependencia, y su hija de 4. Indicó que era la segunda ocasión que les concedían el acceso a ese recurso, ante la imposibilidad de arrendar una vivienda del mercado libre en el municipio en el que residen. 

No obstante, recibieron una notificación del ayuntamiento en la que se les ordenó abandonar la vivienda, pues comprobaron que habían rebasado el plazo máximo de estancia previsto. 

El Ararteko pidió información al ayuntamiento acerca de las actuaciones realizadas por los servicios sociales de base. En su respuesta, indicó que las adjudicaciones directas se tramitan vía telemática, a través de la sede electrónica de la CAV. Además, concluyó señalando que, aunque pusieron en marcha todos los recursos disponibles, el ayuntamiento carece de viviendas que reúnan las condiciones adecuadas para la unidad familiar. Por ello, solicitó la adjudicación por el procedimiento extraordinario de una vivienda en régimen de arrendamiento. 

Posteriormente, el Ararteko pidió la colaboración del Departamento de Vivienda e información, acerca de la razón por la que ni los servicios sociales de base ni la propia reclamante disponían de una resolución del viceconsejero de Vivienda que permitiera conocer los motivos concretos que sirvieron de fundamento para la denegación. Asimismo, se interesó por la aplicación informática empleada por la Viceconsejería que, según los servicios sociales de base, impedía la tramitación de las solicitudes a colectivos con una especial necesidad de vivienda acreditada. 

En su respuesta, el Departamento de Vivienda argumentó que la reclamante y su unidad de convivencia no se encontraban en ninguno de los supuestos previstos que permitieran valorar la adjudicación por el procedimiento extraordinario. En este mismo sentido, señaló que las personas que acuden a los servicios sociales de base mostrando su urgente necesidad de vivienda no ostentan la condición de persona interesada. Por esta razón, confirmó que, en el procedimiento citado, no se había dictado resolución alguna.

Sin embargo, el Ararteko ha recordado que el Decreto 39/2008 sí contempla la posibilidad de acceso a colectivos con una especial necesidad de vivienda. Expresamente, aquellas unidades de convivencia en las que al menos uno o una de sus titulares forme parte de los siguientes colectivos de "...personas con discapacidad intelectual y del desarrollo y personas con enfermedad mental, familias monoparentales…”

El Ararteko considera, y así lo ha argumentado jurídicamente, que la situación de esta unidad de convivencia se incluye en el colectivo con una especial necesidad de vivienda y, por tanto, dentro de la casuística prevista reglamentariamente. 

Por tanto, el Ararteko recomienda al Departamento de Vivienda del Gobierno Vasco que revise la denegación de la solicitud de adjudicación directa de la reclamante evaluando adecuadamente la situación de especial necesidad de vivienda acreditada por los servicios sociales de base de su ayuntamiento. 

Today, 6 May 2024, the Ombudsman Peter Svetina attended the ceremonial opening on Congress Square in Ljubljana of the first so-called Plazma Youth Sports Games (ŠIM), The Ombudsman emphasised that through sports we learn how far we reach and where our fellow man is from – even that our rights end where the rights of others begin.

"In team sports, we train ourselves in cooperation and learn how important it is to support each other. A team can only be as strong as its weakest link, and it can only be successful as much as everyone encourages it and cooperates with fellow team members," said Ombudsman Peter Svetina at the event.